The capital city of Hanoi is taking the lead nationwide in poverty reduction with local poor households cut by half to 40,000 over the last five years, said a report by the municipal People’s Committee.

The report was delivered at a December 20 working session between a National Assembly’s delegation on supervising poverty reduction and the municipal leaders.

Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs Truong Thi Mai praised Hanoi ’s new and practical social welfare policies, especially those on tuition and housing.

She urged the city to take proper adjustments in order to achieve a breakthrough in the field.

Minister of Labours, War Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen also asked the capital to build more appropriate and concrete poverty reduction policies, with a particular priority given to ethnic people.

Speaking at the session, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Ngo Thi Doan Thanh affirmed the city always regards poverty reduction as a leading task.

In the coming time, the city will strive to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas, ensure sustainable poverty reduction and take fair and open policies, she said.

Over the past five years, Hanoi has promulgated 21 documents relating to policies for the poor while spending its own budget aiding them in production and vocational training.

It has helped 1.75 million people access preferential loans worth nearly 11,000 billion VND (5.2 million USD) from the Bank of Social Policies.-VNA